Legends of the Millenium Bracelet
by Arichos
Summary: Another millenium item is revealed, connected with two others, a mysterious chain of events lead to the past and a freindship
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is originally Yugi-Oh! The characters of Zeke belong to me, and Lillith belongs to Sailor Crystal. (Their, happy you flaming bastards?)

Ch. 1 the Boy and the Millennium Bracelet

At nine o'clock at night, one boy was out alone on the streets, heading towards a museum that had closed at seven that day. His dark black hair was combed in spikes around his forehead; his eyes were a deep green. He wore a dark-grey jacket with a hood and some dark-blue jeans. He kept walking, thinking of the phone call he had received some minutes before he started walking. It was Ishizu, a valued friend who always asked him to do certain favors and jobs for her. She had called his cell phone as she always did.

"Zeke, I need you to meet me at the museum at around nine-thirty," was all she said before she hung up. She usually was quick and to the point when she called, but Zeke never found it bothersome. He was ready all the time to do what Ishizu asked of him. She would usually explain more when he talked to her in person.

Half an hour later, Zeke was standing outside the museum with a large 'closed' sign on the door. Zeke's figure flickered, and disappeared, reappearing inside. Teleportation was one of the many useful tricks he had learned ever since he gained possession of the gold bracelet that was permanently attached to his left wrist. When he had put it on after an archeological dig with his father, it hissed and seamed together with his skin. He walked through the dark halls, until he came upon the Egypt exhibit where he met two people, one he was expecting, the other he didn't. Ishizu was tall with raven-black hair pulled into a pony-tail. She was Egyptian herself, and always showed it. She wore baise-colored robes, and heavy eye shadow. The other, was a boy with white spiky hair carrying a rod with many Egyptian symbols carved out of the fine metal. It was the millennium rod, a tool of heavy mental power and magic to the user. Zeke remembered that this boy had once tried to possess him during the Kaiba Corpse card tournament.

Without another thought, Zeke jumped on top of the boy, punching at his face and trying to knock him out. His assault was blocked by the rod, and his knuckles hit metal instead of skin until Ishizu pulled him off.

"Let me go!" he yelled, struggling against her grip. "This guy tried to kill me!" Zeke remembered how his head felt like it was going to explode in half. That was the side-effects of an attempted possession of his mind.

"Calm down!" Ishizu snapped. "He's not evil anymore! Stop struggling!"

Zeke obeyed, stopping his thrashing, and stood up, pulling down his hood. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"This is my brother," Ishizu explained. "Let's just say he's turned a new leaf since then."

"I'm sorry," Ishizu's brother said. "My name is Marik."

"Zeke, if you didn't know."

Marik nodded. Ishizu then filled Zeke in on why he was their.

"Theirs a girl named Lillith. She has the millennium Tiara, an item that didn't exist until the eye and the necklace was joined together. In both items, there is a Yami spirit named Rose. Her memory has been hidden, and we need your help to gather it."

"So, I'm just here because my bracelet affects memory?" Zeke asked.

"She's here," Marik said. "I'll go get here." He disappeared for a couple minutes, and then came back with a girl that Zeke actually recognized. Her name was Lillith Muto, older sister to Yugi Muto. She had black and gold hair that fell to the sides in bangs, the rest just hung behind her. Zeke preferred staring at his shoe laces as she walked in. He always felt odd around girls, weather he knew them or not.

"We have a way to restore Roses memory," Ishizu told the girl.

"You have?" Lillith had sort of a low-tone voice.

"Yes," Marik said, smiling. Zeke felt Lilliths gaze turn on him, still feeling a little shy.

"He is here to help us," Ishizu said. Zeke stepped forward, but was intent on still staring at his shoes. He heard her gasp as she caught a glance at the bracelet on his left wrist.

"Another Millennium Item?" She asked. Finally, Zeke decided to look up, coming eye level to see her amethyst eyes taking in his image. He saw resting in her hair, was a golden tiara tied around her head.

"You're the one who needs their memory restored?" he asked her, not knowing what else to say. Lillith shook her head. Then, Zeke could see her physical features changing slightly, a sign that the Yami spirit had taken over her body.

"Are you sure you want to do this Rose?" Ishizu asked. Rose nodded vigorously. "It will most likely hurt," Ishizu said. The girl laughed.

"Not that I care, just don't break it," she said as Ishizu lifted the tiara out of her hair, "were still recovering from that."

Marik flinched; apparently he was the one who broke it. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"Don't worry, were almost healed," Rose replied.

"Come over here," Ishizu told her, indicating a small chair. Rose sat down, and Ishizu lifted the tiara in her hand.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Marik lifted the millennium rod as Zeke slid up his sleeve a little more to reveal the bracelet. The rod began to glow as Zeke brought his bracelet arm across his face in the ritual spell. Rose closed her eyes as Zekes' item began to glow along with the rod, and the lights streamed out to the tiara, and with a flash, opened up the closed memory contained within. Zeke felt a rush of wind, as Roses memory played in his head. She was a thief back in ancient Egypt, and somehow married the high priest. In a conspiracy that involved some wolf, she failed to kill the pharaoh. As punishment, she had been trapped inside the tiara, and under the orders of the Egyptian king, her mind and body were separated into two items, the necklace, and the eye.

The vision of the past faded, and Zeke returned to the present world as the beams of light disconnected from the tiara. Lillith had regained control of her body. Zeke had no idea what had happened to her Yami. Ishizu handed the tiara back to its owner.

"Let Rose rest a while," she told her. Lillith nodded as she reconnected the chain of the tiara around her head. She stood out of the chair, and with one last glance at Zeke, walked out. He heard the back door open and close.

"Follow her," Ishizu told him. "Protect her. She will need it tonight."

Zeke obeyed, teleporting himself out of the museum, and a small distance behind Lillith, who was walking. Zeke followed her, staying in the shadows, making sure he wasn't noticed. Rain began to pelt down from the clouds, making his hair become soaked. Lillith ran into some random house on the next street, crawling through a window. Zeke wondered weather she was stupid, or just trying to scare whoever was in the house. He walked closer to the house, leaning against the side. He waited their, letting the rain drizzle down his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2 An old enemy

He stood their for at least ten minutes before he heard or did anything. A high cackling laugh that sent a shiver down his spine made him stand straight up. He recognized that laugh belonging to a teenage boy named Bakura. Zeke turned to the house, and climbed in the same way that Lillith did, finding any little crack or crevice he could put his hand and foot onto. He dropped in through an open window, and found himself in a large master bedroom. Lillith was on the floor next to a bed, unconscious. Above her, reaching for the tiara was a long-silver haired boy. He was slightly taller then Zeke, wearing a white sweater and blue jeans. A bright golden ring with a triangle in the center of the design dangled from his neck on a thin string.

"You sick sadistic jerk," Zeke yelled, catching his attention. Bakura looked up, and a smirk crawled across his face.

"I've been called worse then that," he said, standing straight, leaving Lillith behind him. Zeke was struck suddenly with something sharp that stabbed into his right eye. He staggered back, and pulled out what looked like an arrowhead piece. It had struck his eye, and made a large line cut from his eyebrow, and traveled down to just below his lower eyelashes. Blood flowed down his face as half his vision became utterly red.

With his other eye, Zeke saw a fist heading for his face, and ducked just in time. He retaliated by upper cutting into Bakura's stomach. Bakura doubled over, and was pushed back. Zeke quickly grabbed a knife attached to his waste, and was ready for Bakura to attack once again.

The evil Yami stood up, angry and annoyed. "Your in my of obtaining all the items once again," he said.

"That's right," Zeke said, waving his knife in Bakura's face. This particular combat knife had been seen by Bakura once before. At the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, Zeke had been ordered to retrieve the Millennium eye after Pegasus' defeat. Bakura had other ideas, and when Zeke was about to fulfill his mission, Bakura had punched the back of his head, almost making him black out. They fought for a while before Bakura managed to take Zeke's own knife and piercing it straight through Zeke's shoulder.

Bakura rushed forward, intent on tackling Zeke to the floor. Jumping to the side, Zeke managed to dodge the attack, and made a long slice across Bakura's back. It wasn't a cut deep enough to seriously hurt him, but was enough to momentarily paralyze him. Taking quick action, Zeke replaced the knife to its sheath, and lifted the limp form of Lillith into his arms, and jumped out the window. With the help of his magic, Zeke managed to make a soft landing, and began to walk out into the night. His right eye was horribly mangled, and he was half blind. He hoped Lillith didn't have the same problems he had.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3 At Zekes

He carried her to his house, which was less then a mile from where they were. The rain kept falling, soaking through Zeke's jeans. When he finally reached his home, he opened his door with a slight beam of magic from his bracelet. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. He quickly laid Lillith onto the couch, and turned on a light.

Lillith had two black eyes, her wrist and arm looked out of place, maybe slightly broken. He went into one of the six rooms in his house. It was filled with storage boxes, refrigerators, and a row of shelves with hundreds of different types of medicine. He reached for the nearest bottle to him, which happened to be a pain killer. He took a needle, and filled it with a tablespoon of the anesthetic.

Returning to the living room, he injected Lillith, and went to work on patching her up. Leaving the pain killer on the table next to Lillith, he tied a brace on her wrist, and made a cast out of medical cloth and popsicle sticks around her arm to keep it still and straight. He dabbed moisturizer onto a couple of cotton pads, and placed them over her eyes. He tied a thin piece of cloth around her head to apply pressure the cotton padding. He guessed she might be temporarily blind from being beaten so hard. Zeke left into the kitchen and microwaved the leftover pizza he had from last night. He put it on a paper plate, and went back. He sat down on a recliner next to the couch where Lillith was sleeping. How the hell he was going to explain to her why she was he

It was another hour before Lillith regained consciousness. She began to moan and move around.

"Where am I?" She groaned. Her breath became more rapid, her movements become spastic. She was going into a panic attack. Zeke stood up out of his chair, and grabbed Lillith in her good arm, to show her he was there.

"Calm down. I won't harm you," he told her. She started to relax somewhat, but was still a little panicked.

"Where am I?" She asked again.

"My house. Don't worry, your safe here," he told her.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Zeke. You saw me at the museum." At this she completely relaxed at the thought of someone who she barely met. He watched her move her head around, then shift her weight, then stiffen and hiss.

"Whats wrong?" he asked her. She turned her head in his direction, and her mouth scrunched up into what Zeke thought would be a stubborn look if she could look at him with her eyes. She suddenly jumped, as if scared by something, confusing his even more. She layed still for a couple seconds, and then answered his question.

"Its my back. That damn tomb robber kicked me."

"Roll on your side," he said as he grabbed the pain killer, and refilled the needle. She did as she was told, and Zeke lifted up the back of her shirt. She made a small sound of protest, but he ignored it, injecting the needle right above her bra strap. He could see a dark purple bruise forming at the center of her spinal chord. He let the shirt drop back down, and he could saw her return to her sleep.

He suddenly remembered his eye, and felt stupid that his concern for Lillith made him completely forget about his own injuries. He went to the bathroom to see the damage Bakura had done. The blood had dried on his face, his eye had split in half. He would have a scar from the cut that hadn't touched his actual eyeball. All he could do was wash away the blood. He was now permanently blind in one eye, and all just to rescue some girl.

He fed Ziggy, and locked the door. He fell to the floor, tired out of his mind, and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4 Of talking and Healing

He woke about twenty minutes later, standing up quickly, not knowing how long he had been asleep. He felt something touch his hand, making him jump. He looked down to see Rose had taken over Lilliths body.

"You are the one who helped Lillith?"

"I am, and you're the High priestess, Darkside."

"Yes. I need your help. That tomb robber hurt me as well, but I wish to hide it from Lillith."

Zeke nodded, not thinking that she couldn't see it. He picked up the bottle, and filled the needle once again.

"It's on my stomach," Rose told him, lifting her shirt slightly. Zeke injected her, and went back into his medicine room to grab a vitamin shot to restore her damaged skin cells.

"You should rest," he told her after the second injection. Rose frowned, and her hands suddenly shot out, feeling out for him. She touched his face, moving her hands around until she felt the cut above his eye. He flinched as her thumb brushed across the injury.

"You're hurt as well," she said.

"It's nothing, just rest. I'll check on you now and then, so you won't be alone." Rose frowned again, and placed her hands on her stomach.

"You should bind it before you get sick," she told him before the anesthetic sent her into a deep sleep. Zeke smiled a little. He hadn't thought of binding it. He was starting to like this girl.

It was about a day before the girl woke again. Zeke's eye had tried to heal as much as it could. The iris and pupil were together, but it looked like a broken piece of glass, a jagged crack in the middle of it. All the white of his eye had filled with blood, making it look pretty gruesome.

He was making breakfast on the stove when he heard Lillith groaning awake. He turned off the heat, and went to the living room. He squeezed her hand lightly to let her know he was their. He still wasn't sure when he should take off her eye patches.

"Glad to see you're awake," he told her. Lillith smiled lightly. "How are you?"

"I'm still hurting and I can't open my eyes," she told him. Zeke licked his upper lip. He needed to find some things out about Lillith.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

Lillith looked up at the ceiling before she answered. "Sure, go ahead." Zeke sat down on his recliner.

"What were you doing up at that house?" was his first question.

"Visiting my boyfriend," she answered. Boyfriend? That didn't make sense, but Zeke decided to ask more about Bakura later.

"Who's your guardian?" he asked her.

"I have two," she said. Zeke blinked in surprise.

"Who?"

Zeke saw a spirit flicker behind Lillith. It was Rose in a pale image. "Rose and Silver Fang," Lillith answered. Her tiara glowed, and Zeke heard a howl echo around the room. A silver wolf image formed next to couch.

"She is the one that guards the corridors of my item, and keeps us both company," Lillith continued. The wolf bowed, then disappeared. Zeke thought for a second before he asked his next question.

"Have you discovered any of your millennium powers?" he asked her.

"Just one."

Zeke frowned. That wasn't the answer he wanted or expected. He would ask Rose later. He changed the subject.

"Why are you in love with that sadistic freak?"

Lillith smiled weakly. "Only his light-hearted sided," she said. Zeke was confused. How could anyone see a 'light' side in such an evil person?

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Lillith laughed, which caused more confusion for Zeke. "He also bares an item. The one I love is the light half of the two." Zeke nodded, finally understanding what she was saying. An evil Yami spirit. Zeke never thought about that, seeing as he never had one. Zeke couldn't think of anything else to ask.

"Any questions for me?" he offered.

"Who are you, really?" Lillith asked immediately.

Zeke paused, laughing to himself. "I work for Ishizu," he said, trying to think of what exactly to say. "I seal the shadow rifts that the cards, millennium items, and other things that create havoc. I also do other errands for her, like what I did for Rose."

"How did you know me?"

"I saw you at Duelist Islands. I had something to do over their and I noticed you with Yugi Muto."

"Anymore questions for me, or Rose?"

"How's your back?"

"Could be better, I can move more though." Zeke smiled a little, knowing she couldn't see it.

"That's good. Can you get Rose out here?"

"She's been watching, but…" Her physical features changed once again.

"Hello Rose," Zeke greeted her. She smiled lightly in return. "I'm sorry, but can you shut out Lillith?"

"Yes," she answered. "Silver can keep her company."

Zeke waited for a couple seconds before saying, "Good, is she gone?"

"She is. The door to her soul room is closed, and she will not open until I knock on her door."

"All right. How's the stomach?"

Rose moved her hand under her shirt. "It's a lot better then yesterday," she replied.

"That's good. Why haven't the tiara's powers been activated?" This question was so sudden that it took a second for Rose to frown, and then answer,

"Only one is the power of visions. Lillith sometimes suffers horrific visions that rob her of sleep for days. The others, if there are more, I wish not to activate."

This was going to be more difficult then Zeke thought. He was pretty sure that the little event that took place at the museum was to make the tiara's powers surface.

"The purpose of the memory restoration was to trigger some of the important abilities. Why don't you want them to activate?"

"If they are as bad as the visions, then Lillith will suffer, and I don't want to put her under that distress."

"Visions of the future are terrifying, but there is some powers that deal with the present. I ask you, find those, and make use of them. They may help you."

"I don't want Lillith to suffer… I'd rather keep the visions, but its not always the juture, but the horrible brutality of our past."

Zeke covered his face with his hand. He couldn't believe he had become half-blind to rescue such a stubborn girl. He sighed, and decided he would try to get her to learn to use the tiara some other time.

"I see I won't be able to convince you," he said. "Just remember what I said."

"I will. We will see if I do as advised. I might, I might not. It might happen by accident."

Zeke nodded nimbly. Maybe he did convince her a little.

"One more question," Rose said. "How do you seem to have a miniature hospital in your house?"

Zeke smiled. "I've taken a few things from medical store rooms," he replied. "When you do the things I do, it helps to have it around."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5 Lillith Sees the Damage

"Want breakfast" Zeke asked. A week had past after he had talked with Rose. They had gotten to know each other a little better, and both started to think of the other as a friend. Zeke had taken away the eye-patches in hopes that her vision would soon return.

"Sure!" Lillith replied eagerly. Her stomach was grumbling. Zeke put oranges into a smoothie, and fried some eggs. When they were done, set them o a plate with some toast, and poured the orange smoothie into a glass. He walked into the living to find Lillith sitting up and blinking her eyes.

"Glad to see you've opened your eyes," he told her.

"Rose persuaded me." Zeke chuckled. Rose seemed to be persuasive as much as she was stubborn.

"Can you see clearly?" he asked her.

"No," she replied. "Only lights and shapes."  
Zeke raised his hand in front of her. "Can you see my hand in front of your face?" Lillith narrowed her eyes, trying to focus on his hand.

"Um… a little bit." She reached out with her left arm, and clasped his hand.

"Good," Zeke said as she let go. "Give me a minute." He set down the plate and glass on the coffee table, and went back to the medicine shelf, grabbing a bottle of medicinal eye-drops.

"This might help," he said as he returned to the living room. "This may sting," he told her as he lifted her chin so she was looking directly at the ceiling. He applied two drops in each of her eyes. Lillith twitched as each drop touched her eye.

"Is that better?" he asked her.

"Kind of."

Zeke placed the plate on her lap and the glass on the couch. "Now that you can slightly see it, eat up. I'm getting tired of having to feed you like some little baby."

"Shut up!" Lillith said resentfully. "You try being blind!"

Zeke laughed at the irony of that statement. She still didn't know how blind he really was. It was another month before her vision really came back. It was a bright morning, and Zeke was feeding his cat when he heard a yell from the living room.

"ZEKE! I CAN SEE!"

Zeke stood up, thinking it was great she could finally see. He walked into the living room, finding Lillith looking around at all his furniture and walls. She turned around as he came in.

"Zeke, I can see clearly…" Before she finished her sentence, she uttered a loud scream. She clasped her hand over her mouth in shock. Zeke turned his head, realizing she had seen his eye.

"What happened to your eye? She asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Your boyfriend did that," he replied, facing her once again. Lillith had gotten over her initial shock.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, stepping towards him. She extended her hand out to touch his forehead above his right eye. Her eyes fluttered, and she fell forward. Zeke caught her as she collapsed.

"You ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I just got a little dizzy."

"More then a little bit. Maybe you stood up too fast. Walk around the room, it'll help, trust me."

Lillith obeyed, taking a slow pace around the walls of the living room. She was stopped by his cat, who rubbed up against her legs.

"Thanks," Lillith said as she crouched down to pet the cat. "I feel better."


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6 The Advantages of Listening

The next day, Zeke told her she was fine to go back home. She had been thinking the same thing. Lillith thanked him for his help, and gave a good-bye hug. She left for home, and Zeke collapsed onto the couch. He was hungry, and their wasn't much else to do. An hour later, he put on his jacket, and found some dark-tinted sunglasses to hide his mangled eye. Their was a nice local restaurant that he liked to go to every now and then. It served a lot of good sushi, and was a killer place to get sake if he would be able to pass himself as a person of age. After a few minutes of a short walk, he got himself a table, and looked over the menu. As he was deciding what to eat, Something stuck out in his vision that almost made him drop his mug of coffee. A long-silvery haired boy walked past him, hearing him grunt and complain.

Without turning his head, Zeke watched Bakura sit down across from a very business-like man in a three piece suit, his hair sleeked back with heaps of gel, with a thin pair of spectacles resting across the bridge of his nose. A large bottle of red wine sat in a chiller as he sipped from a fancy wine-glass. Bakura slumped into the seat facing him. Zeke felt his bracelet glow warmly against his wrist as he increased his hearing.

"I hope you know your ten minutes late," the man said, carefully placing his glass down. His voice carried a tone of someone as calm as they ever could be.

"I was delayed," Bakura replied in that low-growling voice. "I have other things to deal with then just two teenagers who seemed to have disappeared out of Japan. Both of us screwed up…"

"It's because of your lack of effort that foiled me from taking that spirit. That impudent boy has some sort of protection around her that I cannot explain. He's probably another of Ishizu's little agents."

"Why can't you let me go after the source? Who is this Ishizu?"

"Because, like I've told you before. She is harder to track then the girl."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, she's disappeared out of nowhere. The boy too…"

"Not true. The girl was seen going home in the arms of her younger brother. The boy is still yet to be found."

Bakura chuckled, sending a chill on Zeke's neck. "You watch the girl I'm sure he'll show up somewhere."

"No. My investors are not happy. Until we completely know what were dealing with this boy, and why Ishizu is so desperate to stop us. We're taking a year to plan..."

"A year? I'm not going to wait around a year doing nothing…"

"We believe a year is sufficient enough. You will still be paid a regular salary into your bank account. Please, think of it as a paid vacation."

Bakura sighed, shaking his head. "Ok. When shall we meet again?"

"One year exactly. Same place, Same time." The man stood up, placing money on the table, and walked out. Bakura sat for a few seconds, tapping his finger against the table before he left. Zeke stayed to have some lunch before he went home. He sat down, trying think of what he just heard. Bakura was being hired to do something, and this other guy is trying to steal Rose away from Lillith. That didn't make any sense. What the hell would they want with Rose?

KNOCK!KNOCK! Someone was at his door. He opened it to find Lillith, shivering and crying.

"Zeke… help me…" She collapsed forward, and Zeke caught her once again. He could feel her shivering against him as he helped her onto the couch. He fetched a white blanket and covered her. He sat down next to her, hearing her crying and she started to cough.

"Calm down, what wrong?"

"Yugi hates me," she answered, shaking her head. Zeke pressed his left hand against her warm cheek. He started to say a sleeping spell in his head, activating his bracelet.

"Sshh… just sleep Lillith." The spell worked as she slumped to her side, falling into a slumber on the couch.

He put on his jacket, and locked the door behind him. Walking into the night, he went over in his mind, the way to the gameshop. In less then ten minutes, he had teleported his way into Yugi's room, which was empty at the moment because Yugi was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. Zeke saw this as a perfect moment to set up his spells so he could talk to Yugi without others hearing him He flashed a beam of blue light from his braclet at the door. The light stretched out, filling the entire frame of the door. Yugi walked in a few minutes later in his pajama's, and finding a strange boy in his room leaning against a wall, tossing a knife in the air, and catching it as it flew back down. Zeke had kept his sunglasses on so Yugi wouldn't freak out.

"Hello Yugi. We need to talk," Zeke told him, still watching the knife as it flew into the air once again. "I'm not here to hurt you, but you can't be heard beyond that magical sound-barrrier their," he said, pointing at Yugi's door.

"So, what do you want?" Yugi asked.

"What happened," Zeke replied bluntly. The knife did a double flip in the air.

"Huh?"

What happened between you and your sister? She's at my place right now, and she just cried her eyes out in front of me. Said something about you so what happened?"

"Well it was more like a a fight between Rose and Yami…"

Zeke caught the knife, but this time didn't toss it back up. Instead, he stood up straight, and stared at Yugi.

"Yami, I'm calling you out. Get out here," he said to the triangular puzzle attached to a necklace on Yugi. The puzzle flashed, and Yugi switched places with Yami. The old pharaoh looked up into Zeke's eyes through his sunglasses.

"What do you want?" he asked. Zeke walked a little closer towards Yami.

"I want you to tell me what happened between you and Rose."

Yami took a deep breath before he answered, " I criticized her for not being able to protect Lillith. Silver fang almost attacked me, and Rose disappeared. Lillith ran out after that."

"You're a real dumbass, you know that? Rose hates you, she would of killed you. Just because you don't understand…"

"Tell me what I don't understand!" Yami said indignantly. "What happened?"

"She went to Bakura's house, and apparently got surprise attacked by the evil spirit inside that ring. I rescued her, and let her heal at my place, where she is now."

"No matter. Rose should have protected her. Why didn't you stop Bakura?"

Zeke shook his head. This guy was as stubborn and hard-headed as Rose. "Because I didn't know that she was seeing Bakura."

"You should of sensed something. She might have been killed, and it would be your…"

THWOCK! Zeke's knife appeared in the wall next to Yami's head, a piece of Yugi's hair stuck to the point. Zeke had been pushed past his temper.

"I hate people who assume they know everything about something they don't understand," Zeke growled. Yami stared at him, wide-eyed and appalled at the fact that he had almost been hit with a knife. Zeke walked over to remove the knife from the wall.

"Don't test my patience like that," he told Yami as he pulled it out. "Next time I won't miss…" Zeke slipped it into his scabbard, and Yami watched him disappear. Zeke returned home, finding Lillith out cold. He walked around the couch, wondering if he should warn her about what he had heard from her boyfriend, or if he should keep it a secret and use it to his advantage…

His cell rang on his belt clip, and he went to grab it. Who would be calling this late at night?

"Zeke?" It was Ishizu. "Stay low. Stay out of trouble. Protect Lillith." The line went dead. That was the most confusing message Ishizu ever left him. Her voice had an odd tone of worry, which he had never heard come from her voice.

He fell asleep, watching over Lillith until they both woke up at nine-o'clock the next morning. Zeke made something small, and offered a plate to Lillith.

"How do you feel?" he asked her as he came back.

"Cold. Confused," was her mumbled reply.

"That's expected," he told her, setting down a plate in front of her. Lillith shook her head, obviously not hungry.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7 One year later

He had let Lillith stay at his house, sleeping on the couch in his living room, because he had no other place. Zeke didn't even own a bed; he just slept on a cot in his bedroom. He had given her a key to his door, and Lillith helped him out by getting a job at the local Deli, and had sometimes tried to cook. Rose had completely shut herself away, according to Lillith, so Zeke hadn't talked with her or seen the other girl. Lillith didn't always stay at his house. She often went to Joey's, sometimes not returning to his place for weeks on end.

Zeke had kept track of the days, waiting for that one day where Bakura and the mysterious business man would meet up again. That day finally came, and Zeke donned his sunglasses and coat once again. He was forced to wear sunglasses every time he would answer the door, go outside, or anywhere out of his home because of the giant cut on his eye. Just in case, he slipped a large pistol into an inside pocket on his jacket.

After that few minutes walk, Zeke arrived back at the Sushi restaurant, scanning the place before they landed on the same table that he had seen the same person one year ago. The man wore the same suit, same hair perfectly combed and neat, wearing gloves, and sipped a single glass of wine with the bottle sitting inside a chiller. Bakura wasn't yet to be seen, so Zeke grabbed a seat at the table closest to the man in the suit, which happened to be behind him. Zeke listened as he could hear Bakura's footsteps approach closer.

"You haven't changed at all," Bakura's growling voice said as he took his seat.

"Neither have you, being late again," the man replied. "We are here to discuss how we have come up with a way to make your job easier."

"It took you a year to solve this?"

"No you idiot," the man said. "The purpose of waiting a year is waiting for their guard to be down, wait for them to make the first mistake. Last I was told, she had just begun walking to the Wheeler residence. Three men are on their way to kill her as we speak."

Zeke didn't see it, but he was sure Bakura was giving a broad grin. Without even thinking, Zeke stood up and walked out quickly, making sure not to catch the eye of either Bakura or the other guy. When he was a safe distance, he burst out in a run towards Joey's house. Soon he found their small house and ran at the door, pounding on the wood until he got an answer.

"Okay, okay, what?" A tall blonde boy answered the door.

"Is Lillith here?' he asked, panting.

"No, she just left as second a…" A loud screech of wheels drowned out the rest of his sentence. Zeke looked behind him as three men pulled up in a convertible carrying large automatic rifles in their hands.

Zeke tackled Joey to the floor as a burst of gunfire ripped through the house. The bullets zipped by, making holes in the walls and causing hundreds of things inside the house to explode. Joey ran behind his couch as Zeke stayed lying against the carpet. He reached in for his pistol, a large and expensive desert eagle, and turned off the safety. He crawled behind the couch Joey was cowering behind.

Everything was suddenly silent as the bullets stopped. Zeke gripped his pistol tightly, and took a careful glance out of the shattered glass window. All three hitmen were wearing black cotton pants and leather jackets. Zeke thought they looked like brothers, all with dark-brown hair that was dry and gruff.

"Get to the back of the house, stay as low as you can," he said to Joey.

"All right…" Joey answered in a squeaky voice. Zeke watched him crawl away, and saw Yugi trailing behind him. The boy paused to look at him, and looked like he was going to say something.

"GO!" Zeke mouthed before he could utter a sound. Yugi shut his mouth and nodded, crawling after Joey. Zeke waited until he could hear heavy boots fall onto the glass shards on the floor. He jumped up from behind the couch, and shot at a man who stood at the door. It hit his chest , forcing him on his back off his feet, choking and gasping on his own blood as his lungs were filled from internal bleeding. Zeke ran outside, and found that the other two had disappeared. This was wrong. He looked around frantically to see two shapes running down the street.

He cursed at himself and tore after them. He was getting closer and closer until he realized that they had stopped moving, apparently they had lost their quarry. Zeke took aim and the one on his left fell as the bullet passed through the spinal chord. The man's friend turned around, sending a spray of bullets in Zeke's direction as the boy ran faster towards him.

Zeke suddenly felt an excruciating pain in his right arm as a bullet ripped through his bicep. He watched the man run away, abandoning his partner. Zeke slowed down to a steady pace as he replaced his pistol back inside his pocket. Clutching his injured arm, Zeke walked up to the fallen assailant that he had shot before.

"Who are you?" Zeke asked. The man was panting on the sidewalk, paralyzed.

"I ain't telling you shi…"

Zeke kicked the man hard in the side, making him scream out in pain, yelling curses at Zeke for hitting him while he was on the floor. There was sirens in the distance.

"Who are you?" Zeke asked him calmly.

"I told you, I ain't telling you…"

Zeke kicked him harder. After waiting for the man to stop screaming, he asked him the same question once again.

"I'm a hitman, hired by people. Is that what you want?" he said quickly.

"Who hired you?"

"I don't know…" Zeke raised his foot. "Some corporation guy! That's all I know, I swear! Mike knew who, but you shot him too you bastard."

"Good. Now tell me, what do you know about your target?"

"All I know is what she looks like. Nothing else. They said you might be in the way, but we kind of doubted you would show up."

Zeke walked away, leaving the man to either rot or get arrested by the loud sirens. Still clutching his arm, Zeke looked around for any signs of where Lillith had gone. She had probably hid herself away somewhere…

His eye caught the sight of small red puddles leaving a trail into a side alley. Damn… He followed it until the blood stopped in front of a fire-escape ladder.

"Ah shit…" This was going to be hard to climb with an injured arm. After a struggle on the ladder, he slowly ascended each step. He had to use one arm, and after a couple minutes of difficulty, made it to the roof.

Sitting in the corner, her leg bleeding profusely was…


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8 Hurt and Hurt again

"Rose!"

The injured girl looked up, looking exhausted, but her face lit up as she saw Zeke standing their.

"Are you all right?" he asked as he rushed to her side, crouching near her injured leg.

"I am, but Lillith isn't." Her leg was covered in blood, Zeke could barely see where the bullet had entered.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"She was shot. We couldn't run, so we hid ourselves."

Zeke frowned, thinking how bad she must have exerted herself to climb up the ladder. He took out his knife, and sliced off a large portion of his sleeve, and tied it around her leg.

"That should hold it until I can get you to a hospital," he told her, standing up. Rose nodded, staring at the ladder.

"I'll help you go down," he said, offering out his hand to pull her up. She grasped it, and pulled. Zeke suddenly fell down with the pressure, clutching the bullet wound on his arm. He felt stupid, forgetting he was wounded as well.

"You too are injured. If you push yourself, you'll get yourself sick," Rose told him. Where did he hear that before?

"Don't worry about me. Try hoisting yourself up, I don't think I can help you," he said, still feeling the pain rip through his upper arm. Rose shifted her weight until she could fully push herself up with her hands. She mumbled something he couldn't hear. Zeke guessed she was talking to Lillith as he stood up.

"Come on. You got up the ladder, you can get down."

"All right," Rose replied. She slowly made her way down the fire escape, and onto the ground. Zeke grabbed the sides of the ladder, and slid down the entire way. Rose limped, leaning against Zeke for support.

Half-way to the Hospital, Zeke heard footsteps echo behind him, and the click of a gun. He shoved Rose to the side, drawing out his pistol as he whipped around.

The bullets that were meant for Rose ripped through Zeke's chest. He fell back, and shot twice at the mans head as a last reflex before he blacked out.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9 In Lilliths Mind

He woke up inside a hospital ER feeling weak and groggy. The steady beep of the heart monitor met his ears, and he slowly opened his eyes. Someone had removed his sunglasses, and his vision was blurry. He moved his arms slightly, feeling multiple needles had pierced into his veins.

"Ok, someone's awake!" A female voice to his left made him groan. It was a nurse. The longer he was here, the more likely someone would recognize who he was. "You and the girl gave us quite a scare when she came dragging you in," the nurse continued. "We almost lost both of you. You had four bullets removed from your chest, and one from your arm. Your friend lost a lot of blood, but she will be fine. Mind telling me why you had two knives on you, or why you were shot? Gang fight maybe?"

Zeke shook his head. This nurse was being too curious for his liking. The more sick and out of it he acted, the more likely she would shut up. Pretending to slip back asleep, he heard the nurse sigh, and walk out of the room. He opened his eyes again, and looked to his left. Lillith was on a steady stream of transfused blood, her eyes closed. Zeke looked back up at the ceiling, and closed his eyes. His bracelet glowed, and Zeke tried to enter Lilliths mind. He felt a connection, but it wasn't firm as he heard a fragmented version of a conversation, like listening to a damaged tape.

"…The hell did you do to yourself?" Lilliths voice sounded echoed and angry.

"I…end my life…several times."

"Tried…to suicide?"

"… you call it yes…"

Zeke shook his head. The connection was starting to fade, and he didn't think he'd be able to connect a second time. He concentrated harder.

"Because my fight with Yami, I realized… protecting you like I should… it got worse…"

"You have protected me!" Lillith protested. Her voice began to fade out again. Zeke strained his mind to keep the connection going.

"Hit the vein of my wrist… the closed connection…."

"You…would die… since our connection is so strong…"

It was almost gone. Zeke had to get her to connect with his mind. He sent her a telepathic message.

"Rose? Lillith?"

He felt her respond, and the connection became stronger. "Zeke! What's going on?" he heard Rose yell.

"Give me a second. I'm going to project myself into the tiara." Zeke wasn't sure if she knew what that meant, but as long as she could hear him the connection would maintain.

His image appeared inside the ancient corridors of the tiara. A world all of its own, it was a huge maze that represented the intricacies of the mind. Zeke stood in Roses mental chamber, both her and Lillith staring at him as he appeared in front of them.

"How did you do that?" Rose asked, surprised at what just happened.

"Its hard to do, but I've sent my spirit here."

"What's happening?" she asked.

"Were in the ER. I had four shots in my chest, and one in my arm. You bled so badly that they're giving you blood.

"Did you um… Hear us talking?" Rose asked uncomfortably.

"Er… sort of. I got bits and pieces of it," he replied honestly.

Rose walked forward, and smacked him straight across his face. "It's rude to eavesdrop, you know."

"Hey! I was just trying to get a connection with you to talk, all right? Don't take it so personal."

Rose crossed her arms, still looking angry. "Ok. Who shot us, and why?"

"Three hitmen were sent after you when you went to Wheelers house," Zeke said rapidly, trying to save himself from getting smacked again. "They're after Lillith and the tiara. They are using Bakura as well."

"The hitmen hired Bakura?" Rose asked, confused.

"No, no. Sorry, some corporation hired the hitmen, and Bakura. Apparently, Bakura has been hired for about two years now."

"How did you find this out?"

"Eaves dropping," Zeke replied. Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"What about Yugi?" Lillith asked quietly.

"He was caught in the crossfire, but he only got a few cuts. He should be fine. I think he might have been a target as well though."

Zeke was suddenly tackled by a mass of silver fur. Silver Fang stood over him, bearing her teeth over his neck.

You should ask my mistress if you can intrude into her mind said the misty voice of the tiara's guardian. Its teeth were bared towards his neck.

"And you shouldn't threaten me," Zeke replied. The bracelet flashed, and Silver Fang was thrown against the wall like a rag doll. The wolf quickly got back on its feet, and leapt at Zeke once again. The wolfs' teeth caught his bracelet as he thrust his left arm in front of him to block her attack. He kneed Silver in the stomach, making her collapse to the floor, panting.

"Call off your Guardian," he said to Rose. Zeke felt a smack on his head, as Lillith ran past him, and crouched down to Silver Fang.

"You shouldn't hurt her!" she yelled, stroking Silver across the head.

"I was trying to stop her from ripping out my throat!" Zeke replied angrily. The wolf stood up once more, and jumped again. Zeke thrust out his hand, and the wolf stopped as if it had hit an invisible wall.

"Fine. I'm out of here." He disappeared out of her mind, and returned to his own body. He carefully removed all the monitors and needles from his body as he woke, and stood out of the hospital bed. His clothes were folded neatly on a chair, and he switched with the hospital robes, glad to have his jacket back on. He placed his sunglasses over his eyes, and wandered around the hospital, being careful to avoid all eyes. He found what he was looking for, a vault for police confiscations. He grabbed his knives from their place, and teleported outside.

He walked in some direction. He didn't care where he would go, he just needed to keep moving. He hated that stupid wolf. Entering her mind was the only way to talk to her, and he wasn't going to do anything else. And then Lillith. She had to take that dumb animals side? After the crap he had done for her?

He let out a long sigh. He wished Ishizu was here. He hadn't seen or talked to her for longer then a year. He had walked a considerable distance, when something cold and hard smashed against his skull, making him black out.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10 Torture

A headache buzzed angrily. He opened his eyes to find he was in a dark and musty basement. He moved his arm to find he was tightly chained to the wall, along with his ankles. He tried to teleport himself out, but something had sealed his magic. He pulled at the chains, only making them pull tighter around his wrist. The links were almost cutting into his skin. Testing how far he could go, Zeke stood up, and walked forward only a foot or so when the restraints stopped him from going any further. He looked around him. It was a small basement, nothing much stored around him. A shelf with a couple books was on the opposite wall. That was about it.

The door at the top of the stairs creaked open. Zeke had to shield his eyes, for the light blinded him. With an echoing footstep, Bakura came walking down carrying a tray of water and stale bread.

"I should of known…" Zeke growled. Bakura smirked.

"I guess you know why you're here," Bakura said, setting the tray down near Zeke's feet.

"Why don't you tell me anyway?" Zeke said.

"I want to know where the girl is. You won't leave until you tell me. For now, I'll keep you alive."

"And what in your retarded evil mind makes you think I'll tell you?" Zeke asked. Bakura let out a small laugh.

"Because every time you don't, you'll regret it." He walked back up the stairs, and slammed the door behind him. Zeke gulped down the water and bread. He was captured, but at least he was allowed to eat and drink.

Bakura returned a few minutes later, carrying a large metal bat at his side. Zeke stood up, ready for anything.

"So, where is she?" Bakura asked. Zeke spat in his face. Bakura calmly wiped it away.

"Manners, manners," he said. He swung the bat against his right arm, making the old pain of his bullet wound come back even worse. Zeke didn't scream out, only clutched his arm.

"I'll ask again. Where is she?" Zeke spat once again. "Fine," Bakura said. He extracted from his pocket, a long slender knife, the same knife that Zeke had made a scar with on Bakura's back.

The knife came slicing across his cheek, leaving a large gash. Bakura took the metal bat, and slammed Zeke's hand against the wall. The bones in his fingers gave a loud crack as they broke, and this time, Zeke cried out his pain.

"You God Damn Bastard…" he uttered as he looked at his mangled hand.

"I think that's enough for today," Bakura said as he walked away. The door closed behind him, and Zeke slumped against the wall. Tears ran down his eyes, the pain pulsing through his hand. He screamed out mentally in his mind, feeling blood flow freely down his face. He closed his eyes, trying to relax, and fell asleep.

Bakura Didn't show up the next day. A way of torture by starvation and time. The blood on Zeke's cheek had dried and caked by the time Bakura returned. This time he brought a tray of Water, bread, and a small wet cloth on the side.

"Wipe your face off," he said, throwing the cloth at him. Bakura left, and Zeke cleaned the dry blood away from his cheek, leaving a scabbed cut across his face, and ate and drank quickly. After a few minutes, Bakura returned, the bat in his hand once again.

"So, are you going to tell me, or are we going to continue this little game of ours?"

"Go to hell," Zeke replied in a weak voice. The bat slammed against the side of his head, knocking him out. When he woke several days later, he vomited onto the floor. A plate was waiting for him. Once again, stale bread and water. His good hand trembling, he began to eat. He didn't know how long he had been out for. After he was finished, he waited in silence.

Bakura came in, after countless hours of waiting. Zeke saw the bat swinging by his side. Zeke stood up to face him.

"I hope you slept well," Bakura said, smirking.

"How many days has it been?" Zeke asked.

"Four. Now that I've answered your question, how about answering mine? Your not making this any easier on yourself."

Zeke remained silent, staring at Bakura with an utmost hatred in his eyes.

"Fine," Bakura muttered. The bat swung, and Zeke felt his knee become broken, and he fell hard to the floor. Crawling, he pushed himself against the wall. Bakura left, laughing. Zeke cried out, his knee encompassed in pain. He didn't think he could survive much longer. Suddenly, he noticed his knife that Bakura had carelessly left on the table. With his remaining strength, he managed to use the bracelet to move the knife towards him. Once he had it in his unbroken hand, he began sawing away at the chains. After two hours, he had painfully managed to cut through one chain link, leaving a loop of chains on his wrist and ankles. He limped up the stairs, and opened the door.

To his horror, Bakura was waiting for him. He was pushed down the stairs, and dragged back to the wall. Zeke didn't resist. He couldn't. He gave up, lying against the floor. The bat came slamming against his wrist, making him scream out. Bakura left him their, sinking into a fit of depression and pain.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch.11 Returning the Favor

Days passed, and Zeke saw none of Bakura. He felt weak, and in constant pain. His stomach growled loudly from lack of food. Zeke began to wonder if he would die.

The door creaked open, and Zeke shook his head with fear. He couldn't take it anymore. This was going to be the end…Bakura would surely kill him.

This was someone different. The footstep was lighter. Zeke glanced up, and watched the figure turn around to face him as the chains jingled. A flash of light, and Rose gasped at the sight of Zekes mangled body. Her tiara was illuminating a bright light.

"Oh damn… She was right!" Rose said, kneeling down, looking at how badly he had been hurt. "We need to get you out of here," she said, looking at his chains.

"No shit," he replied weakly. Rose smiled at the slight hint of humor in his voice. "My knee, and both my wrist are broken," he told her. He looked up at the glowing tiara. "So you took my advice…"

A heavy footstep echoed behind them. Rose turned around, the light from the tiara vanishing.

"Too late, you fell into my trap," Bakura said, laughing.

"Shit…" Rose whispered. Bakura was carrying the Desert Eagle pistol in his right hand. Bakura walked down the stairs.

"Now, I'm going to kill you both," he said, raising the gun, and aiming. Zeke sent a telepathic message to Rose.

I'm going to take the gun away. Get ready. He concentrated as hard as he could, and he felt the familiar warmth of the bracelet against his wrist. The gun ripped out of his hand, and Rose charged, tackling him to the ground. Bakura reversed the tackle, both of them struggling, punching and kicking the other. Zeke tried to get up, but without success. His body was too weak.

Rose Slowly stood up, bruises decorating her face. She stared hard at Bakura, who had bruises of his own.

"What is this boy worth to you? He hates you!" He said to Rose. Zeke felt a boiling anger rise within him. Adrenaline pumping through his body, Zeke stood up, forgetting about his injuries.

"That is NOT true!" he yelled, feeling all his anger focus into energy inside his bracelet, ready to unleash an attack on Bakura. He felt something restrain him, preventing him from unleashing his fury. He looked to Rose.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"This is my fight. He cut off Lillith and Silver from my contact. Now I can make him pay for all the abuse he has dealt Lillith," she replied

Zeke felt odd. His left arm began to ache, and he realized what was happening. The bracelet emitted what looked like bolts of electricity, and then a large wave of energy suddenly exploded. Rose was thrown hard against the wall, as was Bakura, who was knocked off his feet, and slid across the floor. After a few minutes of stillness, Zeke collapsed, and Lillith came rushing over to him. The Silver wolf also glimmered into view. She tried to chew threw the chains, but to no avail.

"Try to find the key," Lillith told the wolf, looking at the lock on his wrist. The wolf went over to the unconscious Bakura, and sniffed his pockets until she found a small bronze-colored key. Lillith quickly unlocked the chains.

"We need to get you to a hospital," Lillith said, kneeling down to help hoist him up.

Zeke shook his head. "No. we need to go to your house. The hospital will ask too many questions."

"But I haven't been home in over a year!"

"Exactly…the reason…" Zeke felt weaker and weaker by the second. Lillith sighed, but agreed.

"We need to get you onto Silver," she said.

"Fine," Zeke replied. Lillith crouched down to help him up. Using her as a crutch, he laid face down on the back of the Silver wolf, holding onto her neck-fur so he wouldn't fall off. "Let's go," he said, grabbing his gun off the floor. They went up the stairs, and entered the main room of the house.

"Grab my knives off the floor," he ordered Lillith, seeing them laid carelessly. She grabbed them, and slipped them into his jacket before they left Bakura's house. They all walked down the street in darkness. Silver growled to keep Zeke awake and conscious. After a couple minutes, the wolf turned its moon-yellow eyes towards him.

I apologize for my actions 

"Don't worry about it," Zeke replied. The pain in his wrist was starting to annoy him, so he loosened his grip on her fur.

"So, what exactly happened back their?" Lillith asked. "You kinda knocked us all out." Zeke turned his head to look up at her.

"When Rose froze my attack, she activated a safety trigger. The Bracelet is enchanted to release energy, if it is suddenly stopped. It was made for enemies who were able to paralyze their opponent. By the way, when did the extra powers start?"

"I've activated two, nearly three, though I can't quiet control it," she said. "The light, a flashlight basically. That one was an accident. I had gotten home from a lat e night shift at the deli. I didn't know my way around the house, so in wish for light, the tiara started to glow, giving me a light. Now I just think of light…"

The tiara gave a responding flash, then dimmed once again.

"Theirs more," Zeke said.

"That one plays on both my instincts and the tiara's," Lillith explained. "It became like a lie detector for me." Zeke stared at the ornament on her forehead. It sounded like its power was evolving…

"I should be careful of what I say around you," Zeke said. Lillith gave a small laugh. After walking for Zeke didn't know how long, they reached Lillith's original home. She paused before the door, staring at the familiar wood.

"Well, here we go," Lillith sighed. She unlocked the door, and slowly turned the knob. Three heads turned from inside the house as the door creaked open.

"LILLITH!" Someone yelled as they saw who it was. Yugi, Joey, and her grandfather rushed up to hug her, dragging her inside of the house, not taking any notice of Zeke.

"Lets just go into the living room," Zeke whispered into Silver's ear. The wolf nodded, walking in, and helping Zeke onto the couch.

You must rest the wolf told him.

"Go return to your mistress," he said. The wolf bowed, and dissipated. Zeke stared at the ceiling. That was what you called a family. Someone always happy to see you… Zeke never had a family. The only closest people to him in his life, was Lillith and Ishizu. He sighed, his thoughts turning to something else. The tiara was strange. The powers seemed to act upon thought. Maybe their was more mental abilities hidden inside… he wouldn't know. His wrists felt horrible, along with the rest of his body for that matter. Zeke sighed once again. He would think it over in the morning. One thing he prided upon himself is that he could go to sleep in any amount of pain, or any kind of discomfort. Closing his eyes, he tried to forget how screwed he was on moving anywhere for a long time…


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12 Zeke's theory

Zeke woke up to three different faces staring at him, which felt kind of creepy. His eye sight was blurry, dried tears from pain had messed that up.

"So, how do you come into this?" one of the faces asked in a croaked voice.

"If you didn't know, I saved both Yugi's and Lilliths lives," Zeke replied sarcastically.

"We know all about that. We want to know why you chose to help her. How do you know her?"

"Before I answer that, do you have any eye drops? The tears have dried on my eye, its making it really difficult to see you."

"I'll go get them," yugi said. Zeke waited without saying another word, hearing the footsteps travel away and then come back. He felt two drops moisten his left eye, making him blink rapidly. Yugi was about to put drops into his other eye.

"That eye doesn't matter. I'm blind in that one," Zeke told him. His vision cleared, and staring down at him he could see were Yugi, Lillith, and their grampa.

"Thanks," he said.

"Why don't you want to go to the hospital? I can't treat those wounds here," the grandfather said.

"Because they would send me to a foster home," Zeke lied. "I need to do what I want without the overlooking parents."

"That leaves the question of how your going to heal those wounds," Grampa said.

"That depends," Zeke said. "Do you have wrist braces?"

"Yes."

"Well that's one. Any knee or leg braces like that?"

"No."

Zeke didn't expect him to. He closed his eyes in thought, trying to remember what he learned about broken bones.

"Okay, I need a sheet then," he said. Yugi and his grandfather went off to look for some, leaving Zeke and Lillith alone in the living room.

"Lillith, I need you to close the connection with Rose for a few minutes," he told her.

Lillith closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them again. "Ok," she said, nodding.

"Good. Now I can tell you my theory."

"Theory on what?" she asked curiously.

"On how your tiara works. I've been thinking. My guess is it acts upon your thoughts on what you need at the moment. If you think hard enough, you could obtain anything the tiara can give you."

"Ok, but how would that work?"

"You have to be on a certain mindset. Relaxed, yet alert enough to think clearly."

"What should I do?" Lillith asked.

"Rose froze me, so try that. Think about immobilizing me."

"Okay, I'll try," she said. She closed her eyes, and her face got scrutinized as she was thinking hard. Suddenly the room got cold, and colder. Zeke could feel his skin start to get numb, and noticed ice crystals started forming all over his body. It crawled up and didn't stop until it reached his neck.

"Oh shit!" Lillith yelled, devastated. "I'm so sorry! I thought freeze, and it just wouldn't stop! I'll get Rose!"

Her facial features changed quickly into Rose, and she looked pissed. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!" she yelled.

"I can hear you just fine," Zeke replied sarcastically, his teeth chattering. "Just stop it and fix it!"

Rose closed her eyes, and the ice on his body retracted. Yugi and his grampa walked back in, both shivering from cold.

"What just happened?" Grampa asked. "Its went so cold so quickly…"

"Zeke here is toying with magic," Rose spat. She looked at him to see he was trying to say something between his rapidly chittering teeth.

"Ssss…some…bbody ggget me a blanketttt…."

Yugi dropped the bed sheet in his hand, left and came back, and threw a heavy quilt over Zeke to warm him up, and left to go grab one for himself from his bed. They waited a few minutes before Zeke could talk normally.

"This leg isn't gonna heal on its own. Can one of you tie the sheet around the knee pretty tight."

"I'll do it," Rose said with a sneer on her face. She picked up the sheet, and told Yugi and lillith to hold him down.

"You want it _real_ tight?" she said, pulling a hard knot around his injured leg, obviously in an attempt of revenge. Zeke hissed, but refused to give Rose the satisfaction of a cry of pain.

"Thanks," he said, breathless.

"You should rest," Yugi said, slipping on a pair of wrist splints. Zeke nodded, and waited until everyone left the room before he shut his eyes and tried to concentrate on sleep again, hoping for his wounds to heal.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13 Zeke and Lilliths past

Zeke slept peacefully through out the day. He woke up inside a dream, finding himself standing in the exact middle of a room surrounded by stone walls that were painted with various hieroglyphics. He slowly looked around until his eyes came upon a young Egyptian man in white robes wearing a turban.

"What do you want?" he asked, wondering what this apparition was doing inside the mental space that his bracelet occupied.

"Do not worry yourself. I am here to achieve the same goal as yourself," he replied with a heavy accent.

"What goal?" Zeke asked, confused.

"To find the extent and power of the tiara," he answered. "I brought her to help maybe find something of its past."

Lillith emerged from behind him, smiling. "Hey Zeke," she said, giving him small wave.

"What are you so happy about?" he asked her.

"I get to find out who you really are!" she replied in a joyfull tone. "Shadi says memories of your own past will come with the ones of the tiara."

"Why do you think I know anything about the tiara?" he asked the man.

"You both seem to have a connection," he said. "We shall see. Let us begin." He drew from his robes, a large golden key. The millennium key. It started to glow, the tiara reacting with the key, sent out its own light that shot onto Zeke's head.

FLASH! Memories of his past came rushing through his mind. As a young boy, standing next to the coffin at his mothers funeral, FLASH! His dad, crying and drinking in a corner of the house, FLASH! An archeological dig with his father, finding the bracelet, FLASH! His father, sick and dying of lung cancer, FLASH! A lawyer and his uncle, FLASH! Boarding school, FLASH! A kid, dead and bleeding at his feet with a knife in hand, FLASH! Escaping into the night with other kids, FLASH! His uncle, dead in his chair, FLASH! The tablets. Heiroglyphics engraved into both of them, the tiara inside a velvet box FLASH! The girl, screaming and being sealed inside, FLASH! Enchantments placed up it, FLASH! Sealing it inside a tomb.

Then a rush of memories that wasn't his own were hitting him even faster, only seconds of images, almost to fast for him to recognize. The only things that caught his minds eye was Yugi, and Ishizu.

Then nothing. He woke up suddenly inside the real world, panting. His mind ached as he regretted seeing all the memories of his past. He sighed, laying back down on the pillow.

The light switched on a few seconds later, and in walked a sullen Lillith wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and a white tanktop. She slowly walked over to the couch, and sat down.

"What did I see in their?" she asked. "Please tell me…"

Zeke sighed, knowing he was going to regret going through his past one more time. He began his story.

"When I was six, my mom was shot during a robbery at the convenient store she owned. My dad became depressed, and started drinking, often ending in fits of rage. After a year though, he realized what he was doing, and tried to quit. He sold the store, and resumed his work for the Archaeological Society, and tried to rebuild his relationship with me by taking me with him on the digs. Its how I found the bracelet. After that, my dad became sick with some lung cancer that was inoperable. He left everything to me, but since I wasn't of legal age, I had to have a guardian. My uncle took over my finances, and sent me to boarding school before wasting the rest of it on gambling. That place was hell…I was bullied, hurt, almost every day.

It took me a year to actually get some friends. Then, their was the biggest, stupidest bully of them all. He threatened to kill me, trying to act all cool. He had a knife with him that night. Everything went wrong for him when I managed to grab it out of his hand. His mother and his lying friends got me and the others a twelve year jail sentence. We escaped after three years, and Ishizu was the one who helped me with everything else. I killed my uncle, and sold what I could that was left. Ishizu put her name in for me."

He looked down, a little ashamed as he finished the story. Lillith sighed.

"That's why you don't want to go to a hospital, isn't it?" she asked. Zeke looked up, surprised that she was still their and not horrified at what murder he had done in his past.

"Yeah. They'll find my name, and arrest me on the spot." He looked into her amethyst eyes, wondering about the additional memories that had occurred inside that room.

"What about your past?" he asked her.

"What makes you ask?" Lillith said, curious as to how the subject of her own life had came to his mind.

"I got some of your memories as well," he answered..

Lillith looked back into his eyes. He had told her his past. She might as well do the same.

"Well, when I was born, they found I had a weak body. My immune system was strong, it was just that I would be hurt easily. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. A year after that, Yugi was born, and even at one year of age, I was fiercely protective of him. When I was about eleven, my mom and dad died of unknown causes. I was close to both of them, and almost died with them…So I changed. Yugi noticed, and he became protective of me. Three years later, I met Bakura through Yugi. Then, some time after that I met Yami…then the abuse started, and so did Yugi protesting me and him being together. Six months later, when I was fifteen, Yugi solved the millenium puzzle, and Ishizu gave me the necklace. When Rose showed herself to me, we became fast friends. She found that, whatever happened to me, something significant, I would get hurt so much more then someone else. She always tried to help me."

Zeke was slightly stunned by her story. The similiarities were too odd to be coinceidence.

"Wow. We go through almost the same things, and result in complete opposite of eachother."

Lillith nodded. "You should get back to sleep. I'm sorry to kept you awake, but I just wanted to know about... "

Zeke nodded, lying back down on the pillow.

"Goodnight," he heard Lillith say before she flipped the light switch once more.


End file.
